The Animal Sculptures Giving New Life to Recycled Paper

For Japanese artist Chie Hitotsuyama, paper is in her blood. In her grandfather’s old paper-braiding factory, she creates lifelike sculptures of animals by using old newspaper rolled and twisted into intricate shapes.

Through a detailed process gleaned in part from her family’s tradition, Hitotsuyama breathes new life into paper waste—taking recycling to a whole new level.

The compact application of each newspaper segment proves to be an elegant method of forming the wild fur of snow monkeys or the density of scales found on the back of an iguana. For Hitotsuyama, these details are critical as she seeks to create the most lifelike sculptures possible.

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Old thrown out newspapers attracted me as a medium, not only because they are easily obtained, but also, they are an accumulation of history and contain stories of human behavior. I see the correlation in how humans repeat their own histories as well as experience the cycles of life and death.